Category: habits

Getting a promotion, raise or even a new job. Whatever it is, it takes time effort to get it.

I used to think about my New Year’s resolution as one big goal. One big thing.

It’s not a quantum leap. There’s a lot of steps to take. A lot of decisions to make.

I found that the goal itself is not often enough to get you there. You need something more.Something that will keep you going. Something that will make you stick to it for longer time.

You have to create a habit out of it. Some ritual that will move you closer to your destination. If you don’t work it often it will get buried in everyday life.

It can be as simple as doing just one thing a week for your career. Just one. Not two or three. It’s important to start small because you don’t want to get overwhelmed by the process early on. When you build up the routine you can scale it up.

It requires effort at the beginning to build that regularity. But it’s worth it. It’s much easier to do that rather than working on your goal in spurts.

This is is powerful because it creates the mental space for focusing on specific subject. It gives you permission to stop thinking about everything else. All of your attention is focused on your career. And there’s great power and effectiveness in that.

There’s sense of continuity and progress. You don’t start from scratch every time you start working on your career. The work builds upon itself.

Remember to keep it small and simple at the beginning. It’s about steady progress, not big jumps.

Most people won’t stick to their New Year’s resolution because the want to jump too far too quickly. Been there, done that. So they get overwhelmed really quickly. And then get discouraged and quit.

They think that the goal was too big or they’re not good enough. Nothing further from truth. They just needed a different approach. The one that are more natural and is actually working.

If you have any New Year’s resolutions that didn’t stick, try this approach for a change.

Just remember to build the habit first. The base.The fundament. And keep it small until you’re sure your steady.

Thanks for reading!

Do you have any career goals you want achieve next year? Put them in the comments.

Share this article with someone that might like it (or maybe even need it).

Habits are powerful. If you do something one way for a long time it becomes almost automatic. You don’t need to even think about it.

We all have a lot of habits that serve us. It’s nice that you don’t have to put too much effort into brushing your teeth every day. This habit helps you keep them clean without even thinking about it.

Habits form over time and we learn them from our environment. It’s just the way you learned to do things. It is your obvious way of approaching something.

A few years ago I read a story about a peculiar family tradition. And since it’s about a turkey and today is Thanksgiving (for all of you living in US),so it’s a perfect match.

At the Thanksgiving dinner, a husband asks his wife why she always cut off the end of a turkey. She wasn’t really sure about that. She was doing that for years and she learned that from her mother.

She decided to call her and ask the same question. Her mother didn’t know either. She was always preparing a turkey this way. They decided to call grandma.

“Grandma why are you always cutting off the end of a turkey?”

“Well, because my drip pan was always too small”

Most habits are created this way. We’re learning them by watching someone we consider an authority. When we’re young it’s usually a parent, later on it can be anyone that we look up to.

It’s all well and good if our habits help us live better lives. But because they work in a background we don’t usually verify if they’re helpful or not. They simply feel normal and it’s all we know.

There’s this one habit that a lot of people have that makes finding a better job very hard. Maybe they learned it from their parents. Maybe everyone around is doing the same.

Complaining people are everywhere. Big or small city. Rich or poor country. It maybe justified by the personal circumstances or the economic climate. But most of the time it’s just a habit, no matter how good or bad the actual situation is.

Unfortunately it won’t help them find the solution. If your mind is full of complaints there’s no space for anything else. The solution might be in front of you, but you won’t see it.

If you find something to complain about in one place you usually start finding it everywhere. It’s a habit.

Notice that people who complain about lack of opportunities don’t even try to find one. And if they do and there are still in complaining mode they will just try to prove to themselves that they were right all along. Complaining simply doesn’t work.

As kids, most of us learned that if we complain loud enough about not having something we want, our parents will notice that and react. But things doesn’t work that way in the real life.

If you are complaining and are waiting for someone to give you a better job you’re up for a disappointment. You’re an adult now. It’s your responsibility to get yourself what you want. No one else’s.

The good news is that you can unlearn habits that works against you. It’s easier to observe it in others rather than in ourselves.

Look at people who have complaining habit and ask yourself how is it working for them? Would you want to work with someone like that? Would you hire someone like that?

You can change a habit by replacing it with another one. A much more productive habit to develop is the habit of appreciation.

If you think that appreciation won’t change anything look at yourself when you’re in complaining mode. You’re heavy. Your can’t really think straight. If you practice it for a while you will probably be tired. You don’t really feel like doing anything that will get you closer to what you want.

Appreciation is the opposite. You feel light. You probably are eager to do something about a new job. Your are clear minded. You are full of energy.

There is probably a reason why all around the world there are traditions similar to Thanksgiving. It’s to remind us that there is always plenty to be thank for.

Maybe our ancestors knew something that we tend to forget. They knew what gives them strength and what makes them weak. And it can be something as simple as choice between complaining and appreciation.The choice is yours. I have been on both sides. I see people on both sides. For me the choice is obvious. But don’t take my word for it. Test it and see what works better for you.